Process for the manufacture of a plastic and elastic material for tarring roads or for other purposes.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN ROSEN, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF A PLASTIC AND ELASTIC MATERIAL FORTARRING ROADS OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

No Drawing.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN RosEN, citizen of France, residing at Paris,France, haye invented new and useful Improvements in Process for theManufacture of a Plastic and Elastic Material for Tarring Roads or forother Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

The t'arring of roads and preparation of macadam or road coverings oftarred stones is usually effected with coal tar, the physical propertiesofwhich are hardly examined, provided the tar is sufficiently vise-id toact as a binder. It has been found that the kinds of coal tar that areusually used do not properly resist the general use and traffic of theroad, owing to the fact that they are inclined to become brittle, asthey contain naphthalene, which imparts a strongly crystalline structureto the tar. It has also been observed that the phenols that are found incoal tar produce a very noxious effect on plants and on the feet ofanimals. Tar on the other hand from which naphthalene and phenols havebeen withdrawn, could hardly be used for tarring roads because thecoating obtained in such case would not be sufficiently soft andflexible and would become brittle, owing to the oxidizing effectproduced by the air and warm weather. The present invention is intendedto avoid this drawback and produce tar that has a maximum amount ofconsistency and tenacity although it is deprived of phenols andnaphthalene z. 6., the constituents referred to above as having adetrimental effect.

According to the principle of this invention the naphthalene and excessof naphthalene oils (3 to 20%) as well as the phenols and phenol oils ofthe tar are withdrawn,

and oils are then added that impart a much greater consistency andtenacity to the tar.

It is not my desire to protect any particular process for withdrawingthe deleterious substances from the tar, since I may withdraw them inany suitable manner before adding anthracene and anthracene oils whichare particularly beneficial to compounds of this character. By way ofsuggestion, the phenols can be withdrawn in the following manner :-Firstheat coal tar to a temperature varying from 150 C. to

200 C. and then treat the heated coal tar with caustic soda whichdissolves the phenol and its homologues together with a certainSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 8, 1913. Serial No. 783,814.

Iatented'Oct. 5;;1915.

quantity of naphthalene and other hydrocarbons. T he solution is thendistilled with water and the hydro-carbons are thereby precipitated andseparated. Then the solution is acidified and the'phenols are liberatedand form an oily layer on the surface of the acid. There are a number ofother ways in which phenol may be separated from coal tar, but thismethod is offered as a suggestion of a way in which it may be done witha separation of naphthalene also taking place. Naphthalene may beseparated from the mass thereafter by first boiling the mass at atemperature varying from 270 C. to 400 C., and then allowing the same tostand for some time when it partially solidifies, and in then separatingby the use of a centrifugal separating machine. The lower melting pointimpurities are freed by means of hot water, and the residue is finallyhot pressed. The crude anthracene cake is purified by treatment withpyridin bases and'the whole can be dis' solved on heating and theanthracene crystallized on cooling, and the anthracene crystals thenremoved centrifugally. I disclaim this specific process of withdrawingthe detrimental substances from the tar since it is well known and isnot my invention. This result is obtained by using anthracene andanthracene oils that are added to the mass of tar when the latter hasbeen deprived of the excess of the products that produce a crystallinestructure and give it a caustic effect. The tar is brought to atemperature between 90 C. and 200 (1., before adding the anthracene andanthracene oils, and the mixture is then thickened by means of a currentof air until the material treated has attained the requiredconsistency,.which can be carried as far if necessary as that of a solidmaterial. This oxidation which leads to a definite physical state hasthe advantage moreover of producing a material, that is far lesssensitive to effects of subsequent oxidation and therefore retains itsplastic properties. The mass prepared in this manner is no longerbrittle, as it no longer contains the products that caused this drawbackno longer tend to become brittle, even if the roads on which this kindof tar is used have to stand a great deal of tratiic and considerablevariations of temperature. These coverings are far more resistant anddurable than the road coverings hitherto prepared with ordinary tar. Thequantity of anthraeene added may be such that the mixture to be oxidizedmay contain up to 90% of anthracene.

'hat I claim is:

1. A process for the manufacture of plastic material consisting intreating coal tar to remove phenols and phenol oils and naphthalene andnaphthalene oils from the coal tar, then mixing anthracene andanthrarene oils with the residue, and then oxidizing the mixture toprovide a viscous and flexible compound.

2. A process for the manufacture of plastic material consisting inwithdrawing from coal tar the phenols and phenol oils which aredetrimental because of their caustic effect and separating naphthaleneand naphthalene oils because of the crystalline strucare detrimentalbecause of their caustic effeet and separatingnaphthalene andnaphthalene oils because they impart a crystalline structure thereto,then adding anthracene and anthracene oils to the residue While to atemperature between the same is heated 90 C. and 200. C.,'andsubsequently passing a currentof air through the same so as to thickenthe mixture and render it viscous.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' EAN ROSEN. lVitnesses:

L. FEITLINE, LUCIEN MEMMINGER.

